1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to camouflage gear for the face. More specifically, the present invention relates to camouflage eyewear that covers the eyes, upper part of the face and temple region, in the form of wrap around eye glasses.
2. Discussion of Background
Seasoned hunters and specialized military personnel understand the need to cover parts of the body with apparel that blends into the surrounding environment. Coverage of the human eye with a camouflage material is especially important so that the movement of the eye will not give away a position. This is of particular importance when hunting animals with a keen sense of vision such as turkeys. Therefore, it is important to the success of the person desiring not to be seen to effectively cover or camouflage their eyes as well as the remainder of their person.
A previous solution to this problem was suggested in Evans, U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,031 who attached camouflage netting to the lenses of conventional eye wear. While the glasses disclosed in Evans conceal the hunters eyes, the netting used as a camouflage interferes with the field of vision of the wearer. In other words, the wearer sees the same camouflage design as a person viewing the wearer. Furthermore, the conventional eyeglasses disclosed in Evans only adequately cover the eyes ventrally or from a direct straight-on view of the person, and do not cover the lateral portion or periphery of the eyes. Therefore, the whites of the eyes and the movement of the eyes am not concealed from a side view of the wearer.
In an analogous field, spectators at a sporting event may be seen wearing novelty glasses having various lens decorations, such as team logos, on the lenses. People viewing the glasses worn by the wearer see only the team logo or design on the glasses, whereas the wearer has an unobstructed or tinted field of vision. Two methods that achieve this unidirectional transparent effect on one side of the panel, while displaying an ornamental design on the other side of the panel, are disclosed in Dillon, U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,702, and Hill, U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,609.
Dillon teach lenses having a decorative pattern readily apparent to an observer, but not apparent to the wearer, so that the wearer sees only a uniform color or hue that does not interfere with the wearer's vision. The structure of the lens comprises a positive decorative pattern on a first layer, a reflective layer, and a third layer incorporating a negative decorative pattern. The negative pattern cancels the decorative image so that the wearer sees only a uniform tint.
Hill discloses a unidirectional panel which comprises a transparent or translucent material having on one or both sides a design superimposed on, or forming part of, an opaque pattern so that the design on one side of the panel cannot be seen from the other side. This allows a person on one side of the panel to have an transparent view through the panel, whereas, a person on the opposite side of the panel sees only the design applied to the panel.
A need exists for a device that adequately and entirely conceals a hunter's eyes without obstructing the vision of the wearer. Although it is known to produce decorative sunglasses using the current method, Applicant is unaware of an attempt to produce camouflage eyewear for the eyes and upper part of the face by this method.